Tried a community solar subscription and my bill actually went up

Signed up for a community solar program last July through a local provider in Phoenix. They said I'd save 10% on my electric bill by subscribing to panels in a shared array. After 3 months I noticed my bill was actually higher by about $8 a month because of all the extra fees they buried in the fine print. There was a monthly subscription charge, a connection fee, and some weird credit calculation that didn't match what they promised. I called customer service and they explained it's because my utility credits are lower than the subscription cost during summer months. Has anyone else tried community solar and seen weird charges pop up? What was your actual experience?

3 comments

3 Comments

abby_black27d ago

I used to think community solar was a no brainer for Arizona summers, but your post really changed my mind. I almost signed up with a company last year that promised 10% savings, but I backed out after reading the fine print about the monthly subscription fee. Now I see why people get stuck with higher bills, especially when the utility credits are low during peak months. The way they calculate credits is shady, like they assume you'll use less power than you actually do. It's frustrating because it sounds good on paper but the fees just eat up any savings.

terry_lewis2127d ago

Those credits are a joke in the summer. Same thing happened to my brother in Mesa last year, his bill jumped $12 because the utility credit was lower than his subscription fee during July. They hide those addon fees like connection charges and monthly subscription costs in the contract. Sounds like a total bait and switch to me.

ben20616d ago

Abby, that thing you said about them assuming you use less power than you actually do - that's actually backwards for community solar. The credits are based on how much power the solar panels generate, not how much you use. So if the array has a bad month because of clouds or heat, your credit is smaller no matter what your actual usage is. That's the real problem with these subscriptions in the summer when the panels crank out less juice but your AC is running nonstop.